December 3 Energy News

December 3, 2018

Science and Technology:

¶ “Air Pollution Has a Devastating Impact on Children’s Health” • A report from the World Health Organization says 600,000 children died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air in 2016. About 93% of all children under the age of 15 breathe air so polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk. [CleanTechnica]

Children in Vietnam (Larm Rmah)

¶ “Yet Another Benefit of Renewable Energy: It Uses Practically No Water Compared to Fossil Fuels” • One benefit of using renewable energy sources to produce electricity is that they require “almost no water.” Traditional thermoelectric power generation, which includes nuclear, coal, and gas, is the leading consumer of water in America. [DeSmog]

World:

¶ “Trump Alone on Climate Change as G20 Find Common Ground on Trade, Migration” • A joint statement signed by all twenty member nations said nineteen of them reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris climate accord. The US, which plans to withdraw from the pact under President Donald Trump, is the lone holdout. [Business Insider]

Closing out the G20 summit (Kevin Lamarque | Reuters)

¶ “Climate Talks Kick Off in Poland With Boost from G-20 Summit” • Negotiators from around the world are meeting in the Polish city of Katowice for talks on curbing climate change, three years after sealing a landmark deal in Paris that set a goal of keeping global warming well below 2°C (3.6°F). The UN meeting runs to December 14. [ETEnergyworld.com]

¶ “Qatar Pulls Out of OPEC Oil Producers’ Cartel” • Qatar announced it is pulling out of OPEC, just days before the group meets in Vienna. Qatar is the world’s biggest exporter of liquified natural gas, has been boycotted by some Arab neighbours over allegations that it funds terrorism. OPEC is expected to cut oil supply at this week’s meeting. [BBC]

Nodding donkeys (Spencer Platt | Getty Images)

¶ “Disneyland Paris Hopes to Get Glow from Solar Power” • Disneyland Paris has revealed that it is considering building a massive solar power plant which would supply 15% of the electricity at its sprawling site on the outskirts of Paris. This follows the recent opening of a similar facility at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. [Forbes]

¶ “Dutch Delight at Budel Solar” • The 44-MW Budel solar farm near Eindhoven in the Netherlands has started commercial operations. It was developed by the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, the commune of Cranendonck, and UK company Solarcentury on land that had previously been used by the Nyrstar zinc smelter. [reNEWS]

Budel solar park (Solarcentury image)

¶ “India Could Generate All of Its Power from Renewables by 2050” • An entirely renewable energy system is technically possible and economically viable for India in 2050, a report says. One scenario has the levelized cost of electricity falling from the current €58/MWh (₹4,626/MWh, $68.72/MWh) to €52. Another has it go to €46. [pv magazine India]

Australia:

¶ “Green Light for 800-MW Oz Giant” • The federal government has given planning approval to the 800-MW Clarke Creek wind farm in Queensland. Developer Lacour Energy is partnering with Goldwind on the A$1.5 billion ($1.11 billion) project, which will be integrated with a solar and battery storage facility 150 km north-west of Rockhampton. [reNEWS]

Goldwind turbines at a wind farm (Goldwind image)

¶ “Two Million Australian Households Now Have Rooftop Solar – and They Vote” • One of Australia’s hottest renewable energy sectors, residential solar, has hit another major milestone, with the number of households to have installed rooftop PV passing the two million-mark, according to a Clean Energy Council announcement. [One Step Off The Grid]

¶ “Pernod Ricard Winemakers Going 100% Renewable Energy” • By the middle of 2019, Pernod Ricard Winemakers will be sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources, largely with a power purchase agreement, though its own 2.8-MW solar installation project will be the largest combined winery solar installation in Australia. [Foodprocessing]

Grapes and wine (AdobeStock image)

US:

¶ “Trump Denial of Climate Science Product of Decades-Long Lobbying and Grooming, Report Claims” • Where does Donald Trump’s denial of climate science come from? According to a new Axios report, “a small but influential set of organizations and people have been pushing misinformation for years, and Trump has been listening.” [The Inquisitr]

¶ “‘We Gave No Choice'” • At a Maui Electric Co forum on energy resilience, Prof Chip Fletcher of the University of Hawaii and vice chairman of the Honolulu Climate Change Commission told the audience that new data indicate we have “less time than previously thought” to prepare for climate impacts. And the signs of that are already here. [Maui News]

Kaheawa Wind Power (Photo: Matthew Thayer | The Maui News)

¶ “An Audacious Goal for Leelanau County” • Northport Energy was founded a decade ago with a singular mission: to make the tip of Leelanau County, Michigan, completely green. Upon their 10th anniversary, they embarked on an even more ambitious goal: Power all of Leelanau County with 100% renewable energy within a decade. [Traverse City Ticker]

¶ “Solar Congress Helps South Florida Homeowners Figure Out How to Harvest Clean Energy” • A movement to take advantage of solar power is building in Florida, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava said it is at a tipping point. “We are the sunshine state, and we’ve been a little in the clouds,” Cava laughed. “It’s time to come out.” [WLRN]